While I was in an emotional turmoil, a sick mixture of horror and gratefulness, Kelya's voice sounded.

"Eddy? Are you alright? You are going pale." - She asked with concern.

"N-No... I'm fine. Gulp* Gulp*" - I said while taking a few gulps from the water bottle.

"Hah... So, we finished talking about Bionics, right?" - I finished drinking and said.

"Yes, we discussed that. Do you have any more questions about that before we move on?" - Kelya asked.

I thought for a moment before asking.

"What about those Chosen? Did they receive an extensive genetic modification, too?" - I couldn't help but ask after recalling those giant hulking monstrosities.

"The Emperor's chosen?! No. They are different." - Kelya shook her head.

"How so? Are they not his elite?" - I couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, they are, but their advancement path is... different. The selection of candidates is notoriously stringent, having a mortality rate of over 99% of the candidates. Those who survive the selection receive the honor of consuming a drop of the God Emperor's divine blood. The power of the God Emperor's blood is so potent that it will transform those who ingest it on a fundamental level, becoming something else, something grander. They become HIS angels, HIS Chosen. However, the change is violent, and less than one in ten survive the process. That is what I know."

"Less than one in a thousand survive?!" - I asked incredulously.

"Yes." - She nodded.

"Wow... So, what happens to them, anyways? I only saw them in a giant suit of armor. Are they even still human?" - I couldn't help but ask.

"They are somewhat human, but partially not. The chosen are HIS glorious angels, transhumans in all sense. They are bigger, tougher, stronger, faster, smarter, more agile, and have a longer lifespan than any normal human can have. They are HIS burning sword. They are HIS hammer of judgment. They are instruments of HIS divine will. To be selected to become a candidate is one of the greatest honors one can have. Even if they are likely to die in the process." - Kelya explained with a worshipful look.

"Aside from the death rate, this sounds too good to be true. Are there any side effects?" - I asked.

Kelya heavily nodded, "Yes, there are. The Chosen lose a part of their human emotions, rightfully seeing themselves as not mortal, above the masses, angels of the god emperor, and become fanatically loyal to him. They also lose their fertility and the ability to reproduce. Lastly, they cannot receive genetic enhancements anymore, and their development depends on the emperors' blood." - She explained.

"Yeah, I thought as much. I certainly don't want to become some transhuman infertile fanatic and divine blood junkie on steroids."

"How do you know all of that? Isn't it classified or something?" - I found it weird that she knew so much.

"No, it isn't. I even saw it on the study channel." - Mirah said.

"In my world, holy men and bards preached about it on the streets." - Islea added.

"My tribe also had stories about them, and there is open-source material on the armies network." - Kelya said.

"...Hah."

"I guess when everyone is completely indoctrinated and loyal to you, and people's lives are expendable, there is no need to hide such things, hah?"

"What about becoming a magus, then?" - I asked after remembering Alex.

Kelya widened her eyes in surprise, "You know about the lord Magi? That shouldn't be possible! Your world lacks any form of magi!"

"Eh... Well, my best friend was picked up by a Magus named Dythe du Carcaal..." - I said with a complicated look.

Kelya opened her eyes wide and wanted to say something, but she held herself back and shook her head, "Never mind. I shouldn't pry into the High Magus's business." 

She then took a deep breath and said, "As for the matter of becoming a magus, it is possible in the games, but it is also a matter of luck."

"What do you mean by luck?" - I asked.

"Do you know how a lord Magi is awakened?" - Kelya didn't answer my question directly but instead asked a different question.

"Through birth and near-death accidents, right?" - I said, recalling the old Magus's words.

"Right. Those are the natural ways to awaken a magus. They possessed the potential at birth. However, such births are rare, and there are only a few million living Magi in the galaxy, and many of them are hundreds of years old."

"Then, there are also unnatural ways to awaken those powers, right?" - I caught on to a clue.

"Not exactly. In SURVIVE, one is subjected to a constant test of blood and fire. Through the repeated process, one might have a small chance of developing Magi powers." - She said.

"A test of blood and fire... You mean, risking my life?" - I clarified.

"Yes, and possibly multiple times reaching the brink of death." - She nodded.

I sighed, rubbing my nose bridge.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. Becoming some sort of Magus was tempting.

"I see. Are there any other rewards?"

"Yes. The final ones are galactic nobility titles, the hereditary kind." - Kelya nodded and said.

"Galactic nobles? Are they different than normal nobles?" - I asked, confused.

"Yes, very. Galactic nobles are those who hold a noble rank in Holy Terra. They are living survivors of previous games. Unlike a planetary noble, who has dominion over his population, a galactic noble holds dominion in the whole galaxy. They have special privileges and can order and execute non-noblemen without trial. They are the ones who hold the real power in this galaxy aside from the god emperor and HIS direct subordinates. There are less than three thousand of them currently, with many of them hundreds and even thousands of years old." - She explained.

"Wait, didn't you say it is hereditary?" - I couldn't help but point out.

"Pseudo hereditary, to be precise. To inherit a noble rank, the heir must prove worthy of it. To do that, the heir needs to prove that he is strong enough for it. He needs to prove himself in the games and survive until the end of the games. To be part of the top 100." - She explained.

"I see... But wait, how are candidates selected? How are the heirs of the nobles selected?" - I asked.

"To non-galactic-nobles, each planet must randomly select 0.01% of its population, up to 100,000. They get selected through the God Emperor's super-computer located on Holy Terra. It is extremely fair." - She explained.

"Wait... From each planet?! 100,000? Arent there millions of inhabited planets in the galaxy?!" - I said with wide eyes.

"Hm? Yes." - Kelya nodded."

"T-Then, doesn't that mean there are over 100 billion contestants?" - I said, my body slightly trembling from the dawning realization.

"254.7 billion in the last games. Might be more since we inhabit new worlds each year." - Islea said by the side.

"2-254 billion? Doesn't that mean that just in the preliminary rounds, around 250 billion either die or get enslaved???" - I said numbly.

"Eh? Yeah." - Kelya looked confused at my question but nodded nonchalantly.

"Yeah, it happens every century." - Mirah nodded.

"... Okay..." - I nodded numbly.

I don't know why, but for some reason, I didn't even feel horrified at this number. Just numb. A number that was over 25 times as many as earth's population died each century for some stupid game show, but I only felt numb to it.

There was a saying that the death of one is a tragedy, and the death of a million is a statistic.¹They say it was Joseph Stalin who invented it, but it was a french journalist named Tucholsky that invented it two decades prior.

Now, I know this feeling of disassociation.

After taking a sip of water to remove the numbness, I asked, "And what about the galactic nobles?"

"They receive special privileges. Each season, they may select up to ten seeded potential heirs under 40 years old that can enter the games through a backdoor. These seeded candidates will also not participate in the preliminary round and directly start in the first round. Some of the most talented ones are even placed on the second or third round directly." - Kelya explained.

"That sounds unfair..." - I said with a bitter look.

"It IS fair, Eddy. Each of them has inherited a portion of their ancestor's genetic potential. They are far above us on the evolutionary ladder, and it would be unfair to match them against us plebians." - Kelya bitterly smiled and explained.

"I... That makes some sense." - I reluctantly nodded.

"But, on the bright side, they are not eligible for the handsome rewards given on the preliminary rounds, so the difference can be made up for." - Kelya smiled and encouraged.

"...Right. Sigh*. Are there any other rewards?" - I asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Hm... Oh! Right. You can also obtain life skills and knowledge." - She said as if remembering something.

"Life skills and knowledge? Can't I buy it with money? Or are they restricted?"

"Not exactly... It is more like access to advanced learning pods." - Kelya said after some thought.

"Learning pods?"

"Yes, learning pods. After entering them, you can obtain life skills, muscle memory, and knowledge acquired through years of learning and training in a matter of hours. Some of the knowledge can also be restricted knowledge."

"You mean, I can become a doctor within a few hours if I enter one?" - I asked hopefully.

Mom always wanted me to become a doctor, but I wasn't smart enough, so I became a construction engineer. Although I didn't personally want to become one, I would be fulfilling my mother's wish if I did.

Kelya nodded.

"Yes, you can. You can also become an expert swordsman, marksman, engineer, musician, dancer, survival skills, etc. The only downside is that you will need a sufficiently strong brain to withstand all the extra information and a body that can withstand the muscle memory."

"Sounds fair." - I nodded.

"Well, I think we covered just about all the rewards you can get. Are you now excited?" - Kelya asked with a blinding smile with her perfect pearly teeth.

"Not in the slightest! I am mortified! I just wanna go home!" - I snapped.

"Pfft!!! Nyahaha! I win! That bottle is mine!" - Mirah suddenly burst out laughing.

"Tch! Useless man." - Islea clicked her tongue and turned her head away.

"Aw... And I thought I was convincing." - Kelya looked downcast while playing with her long braid.

"Hah?" - I blinked.

What is going on?

"Ah, sorry, sorry. We just made a friendly bet beforehand about your reaction. Mirah bet that you will be scared and want to go home, and Islea bet that you will consider it. I bet that you will be excited about it. I guess I wasn't convincing enough." - Kelya said with a bitter look.

"..." - I narrowed my eyes in annoyance. I felt used.

Perhaps because she felt uncomfortable, Kelya coughed and asked, "Is there anything else you would like to ask, Eddy?"

Rubbing my aching forehead, I asked, "Is there any way to leave the games before it is finished?"

"Eh? Yes, there is one way. By the third round, you can choose to leave the game with half of your earnings, but doing that is rare and frowned upon. By that point, almost everyone will likely feel that it is better to risk it all and continue until the end, rather than give up halfway. Only those who have a special reason or think they won't survive will choose to give up. Still, even if you give up halfway, you will have substantial wealth and influence, so it isn't all that bad. Becoming a high lord governor is not a dream." - Kelya said.

"... I see." - I said with a bitter smile, knowing that there was no escape from the games.

After a few more seconds of awkward silence, Kelya said, "Well, we talked about the rewards, but I still haven't told you about the rules."

"Lemme guess. To SURVIVE, right?" - I said with an unenthusiastic look.

"I guessed you will figure it out by now. The name says it all." - Kelya smirked and said.

"It would take an inattentive moron not to understand this much. Anyways, are there any specifics? Or do I need to just survive? You also mentioned points." - I asked a few vital questions.

"Well, first, and foremost, your primary goal is to survive. No tricks, no nothing. You only need to outlast your opponents, and you win. In some cases, you must complete the main objective, or you all die." - She said straightforwardly.

"Alright, but this is a game show, right? Every game has some bonus objectives, right?" - I inquired.

"Yes, of course. Depending on the scenario, you will get bonus objectives to complete, and you will get corresponding points for completing them, along with basic points for surviving a round." - She said while nodding.

"I see... Then, can you give me some examples?"

"Sure. In some cases, you need to hunt and kill mutated monsters or aliens, in other cases, you need to mine and gather ores and minerals. On some occasions, you might be sent to a frontline battlefield and be made to complete military objectives. Last, but not least, if the scenario is allowed, you can kill other contestants for part of their points and their items and equipment." - She said with an excited look.

"Kill other contestants?!" - I exclaimed in horror.

"Yes. It is always a crowd favorite! They usually have this in the preliminaries. Exciting, right?!" - Kelya said with shining red eyes.

"... Can I please go home?" - I said with a sour expression, wanting to cry.

"Not unless you want to go back in a body bag." - Mirah said by the side, a wide grin plastered on her lips from winning the bet before.

"...Fuck- Ouch!"

"Language!" - Islea reprimanded.

Was it just me, or did she elbow me a bit stronger now?

"Okay, Islea, stop jabbing Eddy already. I think his arm is already bruised enough as it is." - Kelya said and pointed at my sore arm.

"Tch, fine." - Islea clicked her tongue and turned her head away again.

"Anyways, do you have any more questions?" - Kelya asked.

"When and where will it start?" - I asked while robbing my sore arm.

"On Holy Terra. The preliminary round will be on virtual reality." - She said.

"Virtual reality? Then, how do I get killed?" - I skeptically asked.

"Electric shock! Bzbzbzbzzbbzz!" - Mirah said excitedly while mimicking being electrocuted.

"... I... Never mind." - I was too tired to comment on this.

"Any more questions?" - Kelya asked again.

"Sigh* not at the moment." - I sighed and said, not having anything more to ask.

"Fine, then rest. We still have over an hour to get to Sacramento." - Kelya said.

"I could use the rest..." - I said, yawning.

"Good. Then good night, Eddy. We will wake you up when we arrive." - Kelya said and turned off the light in the back of the car.

"Good night..." - I said and tried to sleep.

Luckily, I was a fast sleeper, and I learned to sleep in any situation(Mainly in class).

Anyways, good night...